But don't worry. Serious themes like spouse abuse, religious/racial intolerance and political corruption are merely comic themes around which the story floats lightly. And the film is extremely smile-inducing, as every scene drips with charm. The performances are all undemanding and perfectly adequate. Binoche glows as warmly as ever, while Dench, of course, steals the show with her gruff-but-loveable old broad act (virtually the same performance that won her an Oscar for Shakespeare in Love, but with grubbier costumes). And Hallstrom keeps things looking magical and exquisite, including his cast members. Dark edges are merely hinted at, then discounted in favour of a bit of quaint schtick or simplistic moralising (young priest O'Conor's Easter sermon is astonishingly PC for 1950s France!). This makes the film deeply entertaining and mindless ... but it kind of undermines all the serious points it's pretending to make.

"I thought this was a perfectly satisfying adaptation of Harris's book, even if there were a few fundimental changes - most noticably the repressed priest becoming a repressed mayor. The setting was beautiful - old, rather crumbling French village being brightened up by a colourful and delectable Juliette Binoche and her heavenly chocolates. I enjoyed her character's perceptiveness and sensitivity. I liked the film's comedic moments (especially the couple with the newly discovered love life!), and I thought that Judi Dench deserved her Oscar nomination. I wondered whether the film was going to make light of such issues as spousal abuse, prejudice, etc - and I think it just erred on the correct side. But the whole thing look rather magical, it was fully of yummy chocolate and an even yummier Johnny Depp who can come and do a spot of carpentry work for me any time." --Jo Caswell, West Sussex 3.Apr.01